Sidewalks

Seattle's New Updated Pedestrian Master Plan Includes $22 Million for Sidewalks
The promised update for the city of Seattle's Pedestrian Master Plan was released to the public last week.

Toronto Sidewalk Cafes Get Squeezed By Pedestrian 'Clearways'
Proposed rules to enforce wider paths on Toronto city sidewalks for pedestrians and the disabled is creating angst in local operators of sidewalk cafes.

Philadelphia District Council Taking a Hard Line on Unsanctioned Planters and Benches
A bill to require Philadelphia residents to get a letter from their district council before putting a bench or planter in front of their homes faces a petition from 5th Square.

For Once, Cars, Not Pedestrians, Make Room for Construction
In a welcome turnabout of the usual state of affairs, a Philadelphia construction site gives a lane of traffic to pedestrians to make up for the three blocks of sidewalk it's taking.

Bill Introduced to Relieve Congestion—on Sidewalks
New York City has come a long way since the Giuliani days, when sidewalk barriers were placed at intersections to facilitate turning vehicles, thus prohibiting pedestrians from crossing the street.

'Project Sidewalk' App Rates Accessibility
The long, ongoing project of retrofitting sidewalks and curbs to allow access for users of all needs continues. Project Sidewalk puts the power to audit sidewalks for accessibility in your hands.
Sharrows on Sidewalks?
Generally speaking, bikes on sidewalks are not a good idea, but a federally funded project in Duluth, Minnesota may cause planners to take a second look at the practice.

Crowded NYC Sidewalks Force Commuters Into the Street
In the 1970s, the fear of getting mugged had some NYC pedestrians walking in the street. Nowadays, commuters are sharing space with cars for a very different reason: the sidewalks are too crowded.

The Tough Legal Path to ADA Compliance
Next City examines the fruits of a Department of Justice effort to force cities to bring their sidewalks and other public spaces into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

New York City's Sidewalk Shed Epidemic
A 1980 law protecting pedestrians from falling debris has spawned a labyrinth of sidewalk sheds: the covered walkways that often support scaffolding. Many of these "temporary" structures linger for years.
Critiquing Minneapolis' Pedestrian Infrastructure Efforts
Is a city with its own fair share of high profile projects on the way doing enough to ensure the safety of pedestrians?

What's Wrong With Removing Sidewalks in the Name of Pedestrian Safety?
Broken Sidewalk analyzes an example of the kind of street design decisions continuing to encroach on pedestrian infrastructure around the country. The case study: Ninth Street in Louisville.
Seattle Moves in a Big Way on Election Day
Prop. 1, a $930 million, nine-year transportation levy backed by Mayor Ed Murray, was approved by 54 percent of Seattle voters on Nov. 3 to the delight of bus, bike, pedestrian and good roads advocates. First order of business: Safe Routes to School.

Seattle Has a Low-Cost Plan for 250 Blocks of New Sidewalks
Seattle political leadership recently announced an ambitious plan to build more sidewalks with less money.

Who Will Pay to Fix San Diego's Broken Sidewalks?
San Diego quest to find solutions to repairing damaged city sidewalks continues, with home and business owners potentially facing liability for trip-and-fall accidents

Mapping Fun: Where Seattle Has No Sidewalks
Not all streets are created equal: Some have sidewalks and some don't.

On the Pros and Cons of Driveways
Whether driveways are anti-urban or 'anti-pedestrian' depends on how we segregate street uses. As shared spaces where they cross sidewalks, driveways inform the wider question: what makes for a good street?

Bike Lanes Help Sidewalks, Too
A growing body of evidence shows that bike lanes put more people on bikes while also helping those people on bikes stay off sidewalks. The latest example: Honolulu.

Philly Pleads with Landlords to Fix Sidewalks
In some cities, maintenance of sidewalks is not the responsibility of the city but of adjacent landowners. Philadelphia is finding what a hassle this arrangement can be. With countless blocks in disrepair, everyone is passing the buck.

Cars Are Expensive (And Other Things the Census Taught Me)
National tables from the 2013 American Household Survey (AHS) are now public.
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